Tuesday, April 17, 2007

FBI TO HOST TERRORIST


The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on April 19 is scheduled to host Cambodia's national police chief for discussions on counterterrorism, even though Hok Lundy has been implicated in what the FBI itself has classified as a terrorist act, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch called on the US State Department to cancel his visa.

"Hok Lundy’s alleged involvement in political violence and organized crime in Cambodia means that the FBI should be investigating him, not hosting him,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Aside from his boss, Prime Minister Hun Sen, there is hardly anyone in Cambodia who has shown more contempt for the rule of law than Hok Lundy.”

The group was referring to the 1997 grenade attack against anti-government demonstrators which killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 120 others.

The FBI officially called the attack an act of terrorism.

"According to information Human Rights Watch has shared with the US government, Hok Lundy was part of a conspiracy to carry out" the attack, the group said in a statement.

It added that security personnel loyal to Hok Lundy carried out hundreds of extrajudicial killings following the July 1997 coup against then co-prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

Hok Lundy has also been implicated in drugs and human trafficking, the group said, citing evidence given by US Drug Enforcement Agency officials and a former US ambassador to Cambodia.

"The State Department's human trafficking office specifically cited Hok Lundy's alleged involvement in human trafficking as grounds for denying him a visa," Human Rights Watch said

As in the Posada case the US Government simply picks and chooses who it wants to label a terrorist and who it wants to have as a friend.

The following is from the Australian Broadcasting System.

Claims Cambodian police chief is implicated in crimes

A US-based human rights group has condemned Washington's decision to host Cambodian police chief Hok Lundy for counter-terrorism talks, saying he is implicated in numerous crimes.

Cambodia's top police officer will be in Washington Thursday for discussions with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Rights Watch says the invitation was made even though he has been implicated in what the FBI itself has classified as a terrorist act.

The group was referring to the 1997 grenade attack against anti-government demonstrators which killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 120 others.

The FBI officially called the attack an act of terrorism.

The group says according to information Human Rights Watch has shared with the US government, Hok Lundy was part of a conspiracy to carry out the attack.

It claims security personnel loyal to Hok Lundy carried out hundreds of extrajudicial killings following the July 1997 coup against then co-prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

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